Tree Monster!
by animatedrose
Summary: Out of all the things he could've encountered in this strange world he'd been flung into, Wilson never would've guessed he'd be up against a living tree... Getting firewood became THAT much harder suddenly.


I've gotten a bunch of ideas for Don't Starve fanfics. So I've decided that I will write them to clear out the plot bunny farm in my head.

Somehow, I bet some of these fics will wind up connected in one way or another…

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Wilson, the Treeguard, or Don't Starve. It all belongs to Klei Entertainment.

Don't Starve: Tree Monster!

CHOP! CHOP! CHOP! CHOP! CHOP! CHOP! CHOP! CHOP! CHOP! CHOP!

_I almost have what I need,_ Wilson thought.

During the long, pitch-black night, Wilson's mind had begun to buzz with ideas for tools. Since building the Science Machine late yesterday—after _finally_ mining a gold nugget—his brain had been churning out ideas nonstop! Even trapped in a frightening world that was quite possibly in a parallel dimension created by some demon hiding behind the guise of a human, there was still time for science.

_Thank goodness for that,_ Wilson thought with a smile. _If I couldn't do science here, I really would go insane!_

CHOP! CHOP! CHOP! CHOP! CHOP! CHOP! CHOP! CHOP! CHOP! CHOP!

Another tree fell beneath the blade of his axe. Wilson collected the resulting logs and the pinecones, the latter of which served as good fuel for his nightly fires. The blade of his axe was beginning to look cracked.

_Might need to make a new one of those soon,_ Wilson noted. _But…it should get me one more tree…_

CHOP! CHOP! CHOP! CHOP! CHOP! CHOP! CHOP! CHOP! CHOP! CHOP!

Wilson smirked victoriously. Now he had enough logs to complete his plans! Putting the logs in his backpack and the pinecones in his pockets, the gentleman scientist brushed himself off. A quick scan of his axe confirmed that he'd need another one very soon.

_I might only get a few more hits with this before it breaks,_ Wilson estimated. _Best be careful until I can make another one. Just need some more flint…_

Wilson blinked, staring at the ground curiously.

…_Did it just get darker suddenly? It can't possibly be nightfall yet!_

A loud groaning noise caught his attention. Wilson froze, trying to place it. It was coming from somewhere behind him. It almost sounded like…a tree groaning in the wind. A very old, creaky tree…

Clutching the worn axe tightly to his chest, Wilson slowly turned.

…

He proceeded to scream.

Behind him, slowly staggering forward, was what appeared to be a giant creature made completely out of evergreen trees. It was like five evergreens had banded together—one forming the upper half, two forming the arms, and two forming the legs—to create one massive living tree monster. It had a ragged mouth and angry-looking dark slashes for eyes.

And it was coming his way…

Wilson promptly turned tail and fled. Looking over his shoulder, he was horrified to find it was still following him. Relief came quickly, though. The tree beast was far too slow to keep up with him. It shouldn't be hard to lose it!

He suddenly tripped, falling flat on his face. Whipping around, he tore viciously at the sticky threads caught on his shoes. He'd run clean into a spider's nest and not noticed! Loud hissing signaled that the spiders had detected him…and were not pleased in the slightest.

Tearing himself free, Wilson bolted out of the web-covered area. Looking back, he was shocked to see the tree beast enter the spiders' territory. It didn't even seem to notice the angry spiders scurrying around in front of it. It just plodded on, following after Wilson.

_Stupid tree! The spiders will deal with it now. I don't have to worry about that thing any…more…?_

Wilson's train of thought abruptly died when the spiders headed back to their nest. There was no fight, no screeching at the living tree, and no mass attack upon it. They simply ignored it and then headed back into their nest. It was like the monster didn't exist!

And that left Wilson with a living tree monster _still_ following him.

With his camp only a short distance away, the scientist pulled out his worn axe. He couldn't afford to have this creature trashing all of his newly-acquired possessions _or_ his Science Machine! That left him with only one choice—fight it. Hopefully, he could kill it if it refused to flee.

Wilson lunged, smashing the axe into the living tree's legs. He managed to get in three hits before the tool suddenly broke apart, leaving him with chunks of flint and broken twigs. The realization that his only weapon had broken quickly sunk in.

But not quickly enough for him to register that the beast was counterattacking.

One swipe caused the entire left side of his chest, including his left arm and shoulder, to go numb. Then the injured areas screamed in agony, as if they were on fire. The cloth of his shirt and vest were torn by the razor-sharp needles that made up the creature's claws. Blood spattered his clothes and the grassy ground beneath him.

_Oh God, I can't beat this!_ Wilson realized in horror. _I… I'm going to die! I…have to run! Oh God, run! Run, Wilson, run!_

The tree beast followed him as Wilson staggered back to his camp. He desperately tried to remember where his pickaxe was. In the chest? No, not that one! The other one! Or…did that break earlier, too?

Mind in overdrive and body wracked with severe pain, Wilson could only fall back against one of his chests and slide to the ground. Exhaustion crashed over him like a wave. He watched miserably as the tree monster approached slowly, angry gaze locked on his own pained one.

_I survived this long, only to be killed by a living tree,_ he thought, chuckling bitterly. _I'm a scientist. I'm supposed to be above such a creature. Yet here I am, practically on my deathbed, waiting for a tree to kill me. Why?_

But Wilson wasn't ready to die yet.

_There must be…something…that I can defend myself with,_ he thought as he dug through his pockets. _Rocks, carrots, grass, rope, flower petals…_

His hand closed around something hard and spiky. Flinching, Wilson yanked it out and looked it over. It was a pinecone, one of at least a dozen he had collected over the course of the day.

…_Well, why not?_

Wilson chucked the pinecone at the beast, grinning victoriously when it bounced off of the beast's face. The living tree paused, apparently registering that something had hit it. Then it bent down, looking at the pinecone.

Wilson's jaw dropped when the beast proceeded to claw at the ground, dropping the pinecone in the hole before covering it up again. A tiny evergreen sprouted from the ground in seconds where the pinecone had been planted. The beast's ragged mouth turned upwards slightly, as if smiling.

Then its rage returned and it resumed its slow trek toward Wilson.

_Th-The pinecones! It became happy when it planted that pinecone! Maybe if I…?_

Wilson's legs didn't seem to want to obey him very well, wobbling beneath him as he pulled himself upright. Pulling every pinecone he could hold out of his pockets, he limped to the empty ground close to his camp. Dropping to his knees, he set the pile of pinecones down and began to dig as quickly as his hands allowed.

The tree beast seemed to pause just a short distance away, as if watching him.

"S-See? I'm planting it!" Wilson cried shakily, holding up a pinecone before dropping it in the hole and covering it up. "I'm planting pinecones! That's what you want, right? More trees? Well, here you go! You get more trees!"

_Note to self—make a shovel for digging,_ Wilson thought as he dug a second hole.

Wilson wasn't sure how long he'd been digging holes and planting pinecones for. He now had a forest of tiny evergreens right next to his camp. All he knew was that the tree monster—or a Treeguard as he'd decided they should be called since it appeared they were guarding the trees against someone like him chopping them down—was no longer coming after him. He'd had his back to the creature the whole time and not once had it attempted to strike him.

_Maybe it left…?_

Once he planted the last pinecone, Wilson slowly got up and turned around. To his relief, he couldn't see the Treeguard anywhere. Staggering back to his camp, he saw no sign of the living tree. He smiled, feeling victorious.

Now to take care of his wounds before nightfall…

.o.o.o.o.

Wilson quickly discovered the Treeguard hadn't completely left. It was merely wandering the area close to his camp, passing through and around the nearby spiders' nest frequently. Thankfully, it showed no malicious intent toward him and seemed to act as if he didn't exist.

Unfortunately, Wilson was forced to trek _far_ from camp to get wood. He didn't dare attempt to chop a tree down near the Treeguard for fear of enraging it again.

Though scary-looking, Wilson soon came to regard it as a familiar part of his campsite…

Not that he really _enjoyed_ it being so close to him, but he couldn't do anything about that. It was just another thing he was forced to deal with here in this crazy world.


End file.
